Skip to content

The planning process

Planning for the future is part of every student’s education. For students with disabilities, this includes transition planning. Transition planning services can help a student move from school to adult life.

Key things to know:

Understand transition planning

Under the federal law Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), schools must provide certain supports for students. When a student with disabilities turns 14 or enters 9th grade, schools are required to provide transition services.

Transition services help students with everything from planning for work to school to fun. The services depend on the student’s needs and interests. A student can get help to go to college or other postsecondary training after high school. Transition planning also helps students get jobs, find a place to live, and be a part of the community.

Developed by the State of Minnesota and transition leaders statewide, Minnesota’s transition framework defines high-quality transition programming for youth with disabilities and those who support them.

The framework:

  • Facilitates coordination of services and supports

  • Promotes collaborative partnerships between youth, families and professionals, and

  • Ensures consistent transition planning expectations and experiences for youth and families

The framework defines the curricula and topics youth are expected to learn about so they can:

  • Use self-determination and leadership skills to envision and advocate for their best life

  • Successfully live as independently as possible, becoming part of the community they choose and living in housing that works for them

  • Find competitive, integrated work they enjoy

  • Access postsecondary education and training options and obtain industry-recognized credentials

Using the framework in transition planning

As a part of the transition planning process, you, your youth and their support team will identify their strengths and needs as they relate to the topics of Minnesota’s transition framework, and together decide which ones to prioritize:

The transition framework’s best life topics include:

Self-awareness

  • My strengths, interests, preferences, and needs

  • My resources (formal and informal)

  • My team (people who can help me create my best life vision)

Life vision

  • My best life vision

  • Budget for my best life

  • Connection to independent living, employment and postsecondary education and training

Advocating for my vision

  • Self-determination and advocacy basics

  • Disability rights

  • Advocating with loved ones and helpers

Planning for a good life

  • Person-centered planning concepts

  • Personal learning plan

  • Individualized Education Program (IEP)

  • VRS/SSB employment plan

  • Waiver plan

Tools introduction

  • Charting the LifeCourse

  • Disability Hub MN and My Vault

The transition framework’s independence topics include:

Daily life

  • Home management

  • Nutrition and meal preparation

  • Transportation

  • Clothing care

  • Appointment management

  • Telephone use and etiquette

  • Digital literacy

  • Recreation and leisure

Community living

  • Home

  • Transportation

Money

  • Income sources

  • Money management

Healthy living

  • Physical and mental well-being

  • Health care and benefits

  • Relationships and sexuality

  • Parenting skills

Advocacy, engagement and supports

  • Self-advocacy for independent living

  • Assistive technology

  • Decision making 

  • Civic responsibility

  • Services and supports

The transition framework’s employment topics include:

Career exploration

  • Self-awareness of strengths, interests, preferences, and needs

  • Occupations or career possibilities that match strengths, interests, preferences, and needs

Work-based learning

  • Real work experiences

Benefits planning

  • Work and benefits

  • Resources and tools to use

  • How to manage benefits while working

The job process

  • Job search strategies

  • Interview skills

  • Applying for work

  • How to advance at work

  • How to leave a job

Skills for success

  • Work ethics

  • Hygiene

  • Interpersonal skills

  • Communication skills

  • Job readiness skills

Advocacy and supports

  • Self-advocacy in the workplace

  • Disability disclosure

  • Accommodations and assistive technology

  • Employment services and supports

The transition framework’s postsecondary education and training topics include:

Postsecondary education and training options

  • PSEO and concurrent enrollment

  • Certification programs

  • Apprenticeship programs

  • Degree programs

  • Military opportunities

  • Community education

Enrollment

  • Entrance exams

  • Applications

  • Essays and resumes

  • Financial aid

Skills for success in postsecondary education and training

  • Learning strategies

  • Study skills

  • Test-taking skills

  • Organization

  • Time management

Self-advocacy in postsecondary education and training settings

  • Accommodations, modifications and assistive technology

  • On-campus supports

  • Rights and responsibilities

  • Other services and supports

Youth with disabilities need a formal plan that defines their future goals and the steps needed to reach those goals. By law, all Minnesota youth must have a personal learning plan beginning in 9th grade. This plan includes academics, career exploration and skills, community partnerships, postsecondary options and experience-based learning opportunities. Personal learning plans have been shown to motivate youth to learn, achieve more in school and develop a stronger sense of ownership over their education.

Services provided to youth with disabilities require additional planning documents that encompass or align with their personal learning plan. These plans are individualized, based on a youth's unique needs.

Disability-specific services and their respective planning documents include:

Your student’s support team should work together to ensure your student’s plans are coordinated so that they receive seamless services. You can help your student’s support team do this by encouraging your student to access and share their plans with everyone on their team using an online tool called My Vault. Learn more about My Vault »

Transition programs provide education and related services that help students with disabilities plan for moving towards independent living, employment, and postsecondary education or training. Services are outcome-oriented and based on a youth’s educational needs and preferences for their future.

Transition services must begin by the time a student turns 14 (or starts 9th grade) and can continue, as needed, until the youth has graduated from high school and moved into the next stage of life. Transition services may include instruction, community experiences, employment and other postschool adult-living objectives — all based on a youth's individual needs.

Federal law requires Minnesota's secondary schools and Vocational Rehabilitation Services to work together to deliver services that support the transition from high school to competitive integrated employment. Minnesota’s transition framework defines the elements of high-quality transition planning, and sets shared learning expectations for best life, independent living, employment, and postsecondary education and training.

Learn more about key transition programs and services below.

Though each school operates differently, here are common programs available in many schools:

  • Special education
    By law, Minnesota school districts are required to provide all eligible children with disabilities a free appropriate public education, or special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and to prepare them for further education, employment and independent living, if they are transition age.

    To qualify for special education, your child will need a special education evaluation. This evaluation is done through the school system and with your written consent. After the evaluation, your child's team will review the services, accommodations, technology and other supports that can help your child be successful at school. These supports will be detailed in your child's Individual Education Program, or IEP.

    Learn more:
    – Special education (Minnesota Department of Education)
    – Special education overview (PACER Center)
    – What to expect during an evaluation for special education (Center for Parent Information and Resources)

  • Accommodations through 504 plans
    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (commonly referred to as Section 504) is a federal law designed to protect the rights of people with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, including public school districts, institutions of higher education, and other state and local education agencies. To qualify under Section 504, youth must have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Learn more about special education and Section 504 from the Pacer Center.

  • Career and college readiness programs
    Many schools have a career and college readiness coordinator or other ways to ensure implementation of personal learning plans.

  • Career and technical education, work-based learning
    Career and technical education (CTE) programs are a sequence of courses that integrate core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge and skills, providing a pathway to postsecondary education and careers. Work-based learning (which falls under CTE) is formalized learning with instruction occurring at the school and at a community-based setting with a local employer. Learn about CTE work-based learning from the Minnesota Department of Education.

  • School counseling
    School counselors are a valuable resource for navigating the programs offered at an individual school. School counseling services can be related services under special education and can be added to an IEP if the youth's IEP team determines the services are necessary for the provision of a free appropriate public education. To find a counselor at a specific high school, use this directory. 

Minnesota has two federal- and state-funded Vocational Rehabilitation programs:

1) Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS)
Every Minnesota high school has two Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) staff who can help youth with disabilities. VRS provides two levels of support for youth:

  • Introductory Career Services (Pre-ETS only), which serve as the first step for youth who need only limited Pre-Employment Transition Services.

  • Vocational Rehabilitation Career Services (Pre-ETS Plus), which provide a next step for youth requiring additional career services

To learn more about VRS:

2) State Services for the Blind (SSB)
State Services for the Blind (SSB) helps youth who are blind, low vision or DeafBlind develop skills and confidence for a bright future. SSB offers resources in technology, career exploration, work experience, adjustment to blindness training and peer connections. SSB also provides Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS).

To learn more about SSB:

-----

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
VRS and SSB programs offer Pre-Employment Transition Services as well as other services to help youth reach their work and independent living goals. Pre-ETS provided by Vocational Rehabilitation Services and State Services for the Blind help enhance and/or fill gaps in the transition services provided by schools.

Pre-ETS includes five required activities:

  • Job exploration counseling

  • Work-based learning experiences

  • Postsecondary education counseling

  • Workplace readiness training

  • Instruction in self-advocacy

To learn more about Pre-ETS:

Medical Assistance (MA) home and community-based waivers provide services needed to support people in their homes, at work and in the community. HCBS waiver employment services help youth with disabilities plan a path to employment and access ongoing supports on the job. Everyone on a waiver has a case manager who can act as a key partner in the transition planning process.

To learn more, check out Disability Hub MN’s information about home and community based waivers and DB101’s MA-Waiver Programs section.

Many people play a role in supporting youth with disabilities on their transition journey. Depending on your youth’s situation, this may include social workers, teachers, counselors, and providers. You and your youth are also key members of the team.


Learn more about each role below. For a more detailed description of each role, check out this summary of youth-in-transition roles (PDF).

The youth drives transition planning and supports. They may rely on other team members to explain services, processes and options — but the youth is the decision maker.  If the youth is a minor or under guardianship, the family or guardian must also be involved in these decisions.

The youth:

  • Communicates interests, shares their goals, describes what help they would like to reach those goals, and chooses supports if needed.

  • Engages in transition planning

  • Participates in services and activities

  • Communicates with team members

Family members, guardians and other people who help are critical for the youth's transition success. The youth is the decision maker. Still, they may rely on close contacts — like family members, guardians or friends — to help them make decisions. These close contacts help the youth make their own decisions, rather than making decisions for them.

Family members, guardians and other people who help can:

  • Help the youth make decisions, like which services they receive and who is on their support team

  • Participate in meetings

  • Provide signatures for minors or those under guardianship

  • Identify and engage informal supports

  • Help the youth think through decisions like transportation, schedules and the impact of independent living, employment and postsecondary education and training on other daily activities

Learn more about the family’s role »

School staff, such as teachers, special education case managers, work-based learning coordinators, and school counselors, help youth plan and prepare for future success. This includes thinking about postsecondary education or training, employment, independent living, and learning the skills needed to succeed.

School staff:

  • Help youth maintain planning documents

  • Organize IEP meetings

  • Support transition planning

  • Guide work experiences and career and technical education

  • Collaborate with other professionals

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) and State Services for the Blind (SSB) staff help youth find competitive integrated employment. They provide Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and other supports using a person-centered approach. These services and supports vary depending on the person's specific needs.

VRS staff:

  • Help youth complete the VRS/SSB intake and application process

  • Coordinate Pre-ETS services, ensuring youth get their needs met within the five Pre-ETS activities (PDF)

  • Help the youth develop an employment goal

  • Provide initial job supports

  • Organize and participate in Pre-ETS planning meetings, VRS employment plan meetings (used to plan for VRS/SSB services), and VRS job search placement plan meetings (used to start the job search process)

  • Collaborate with other professionals

Service providers help youth engage, explore, prepare for and implement options or plans for independent living, employment, and postsecondary education and training. VRS/SSB and the Minnesota Department of Human Services contract with service providers across the state to provide these services. VRS/SSB staff and waiver case managers work with the youth (and parents or guardians as applicable) to make informed decisions about which provider will deliver services.

Service providers:

  • Hold an intake or first meeting with the youth and their team to learn about the desired services

  • Deliver services as requested

  • Participate in meetings (such as IEP, VRS/SSB employment plan, and waiver service plan progress meetings) to ensure coordination of services and progress toward goals

  • Collaborate with other professionals

If the youth has a waiver, their waiver case manager will help them identify, access and navigate supports and services. Waiver case managers are responsible for providing the information a youth needs to make informed choices about supports and services. This includes social, health, educational, vocational and financial services.

Waiver case managers:

  • Connect the youth to services and supports, helping youth understand their options and authorizing services

  • Participate in meetings for waiver employment services

  • Coordinate a youth’s other services — such as transportation or day services — with their transition goals and services

  • Monitor services, including meeting with the youth at least twice a year (or more often as needed) to review a youth’s services, needs and progress toward goals

  • Stay informed about VRS and IEP meetings, ideally participating in the meetings themselves

  • Collaborate with other professionals

Additional resources to help understand the transition process include:

  • Minnesota Secondary Transition Toolkit for Families (PDF)
    This resource was created to ease transition planning and help families approach this phase of life one step at a time. Developed by the PACER Center and the Minnesota Department of Education, this guide provides an overview of the transition process and specific resources to prepare children with disabilities for life beyond high school.

  • What to know about youth transition services (PDF)
    Developed by the Federal Partners in Transition workgroup, this fact sheet covers the importance of transition planning and ways to help youth envision their lives as adults.

  • Special Education Transition Planning (PDF)
    This fact sheet, developed by the Minnesota Disability Law Center, helps families understand transition services and the importance of early transition planning.

Transition is about students moving into life after high school—giving students choices and options as well as opportunity to acquire the skills needed to be successful as adults in their community.

Video resource

From the PACER Center: Learn about the transition planning process for a student with a disability on an IEP

Watch "Overview of the Transition Planning Process" »

Transition toolkit for families

Developed by the PACER Center and the Minnesota Department of Education, this guide provides an overview of the transition process and helps families approach this phase of life one step at a time.

Download the toolkit (PDF) »

What to know about youth transition services

This fact sheet by the Federal Partners in Transition workgroup covers the importance of transition planning and ways to help youth envision their lives as adults.

Download the fact sheet (PDF) »

Chat, call or email the Hub.

At the Hub, there’s no such thing as a wrong question. We're here to help. Contact us Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm.